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There
are several categories of Dog Breeders that I will classify here:
1)
The Hobby Breeder.
a. Member of the breed parent club Bulldog Club of America (who is a member
club of the AKC).
b. Member/ Active member of the Division breed club, ie. BCA Division
I. (if there is one)
c. Member/ Active member of the local breed club ie. Bulldog Club of Philadelphia.
d. Bound by the Parent Club Code of Ethics with regards to the specific
breed and its welfare.
e. Participates in /supports AKC sanctioned events.
f. May be active in AKC sanctioned Obedience, agility, and tracking events
rather than conformation events.
g. Breeds 5 or less litters of puppies a year.
h. The objective of a litter is to create a specimen worthy of achieving
Best of Breed at a Specialty Show.
- A
dog who meets the breed standard and is healthy.
- Seek health screening
and certifications on their breeding stock.
- Dogs are AKC
registered.
- Usually has a
breeding plan in place.
i.Encourages
new owners to become active in the Breed Clubs
j. Mentors all new
bulldog owners and provides a support network for that puppy and his
new owners.
k . Sells the balance of a litter to the public as pets.
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Responsible hobby breeders sell pets on spay/neuter contracts
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Keep meticulous records of all pups not just show dogs
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Rarely to mostly never ship dogs or puppies –
1. perspective owner must come meet the litter and then come back and
pick up the dog they selected (who selected them).
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Public can usually meet the parents and grandparents on site.
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Does not have to sell over the internet or via newspaper. Word of
mouth does it.
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Utilizes the BCA Breeder referral network to place puppies in perspective
homes.
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May have an internet site – but there is no way to purchase any dog
over the internet via credit card.
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Some take deposits, most do not.
m. Most breeders in this category are responsible breeders. They are
concerned about all the dogs they breed and what happens to them. There
are, however, some that have either been doing this way too long or
who come into the breed with a “know it all” attitude who, while they
don’t fit puppy mill category, are bordering on this title. It is KEY
that each consumer pay attention to what is being said and how responsive
the breeder is to them and their own animals. Then make an informed
decision as to whether this is the person you want to work with.
2) Specialty Breeder
a. May be active in Therapy Dog, Seeing Eye, and other activities outside
the pure bred sport arena. Will be associated with those types of organizations.
They are involved in breeding animals to help the handicapped.
b. Some may be active in breeding and training Police dogs, Search and
Rescue, and Guard dogs etc.
c. Their objective is to breed a healthier, excellent temperament, better
conformed dog using the Breed Standard for the Blue print. And the Pedigree
as a means to accomplish the results of that Blue print. In addition,
they are breeding dogs for a specific function, so the dogs and lines
they use need to exhibit certain traits that will enable them to perform
the functions they being bred for.
d. They are associated with specific organizations, Police, Seeing Eye
etc.
3) Back Yard Breeder
a. Some are people who started as hobby breeders.
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They don’t show any longer, but still have association with Hobby
Breeders in the sport.
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Can be a member of the local breed club – but usually not the Parent
Club or Division Club. Usually not an active member.
b. Some are an extension of someone else’s kennel. Breeding under the
governance of a Hobby breeder.
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They don’t learn anything about breeding because the “Hobby Breeder”
is scripting out there every breeding move.
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They
don't understand how to select a stud dog to breed to a certain bitch
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Which pups they can keep and why or why the breeder is selecting certain
pups over others.
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Which pups are show potential and should be shown and which should
be placed as pets.
c.
Some have become disillusioned with the world of Pure Bred Dogs and decided
they could do it better on their own. (the start of the puppy miller)
d. Some are everyday
people who got a puppy from the pet store and are now seeing dollar
signs related to the sale of puppies. They breed just for the sake of
breeding.
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They are the people who have to breed their girl that one time and
then continue breeding because they have money as a result of their
endeavors.
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They are the people who think it would be fun to breed a litter of
pups.
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They are the people who have the hand written signs on the telephone
poles or the ads in the newspapers.
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They are people who want their children to witness the miracle of
birthing a litter of pups
All with no regard to the number of rescues of each breed that are being
rehomed on a regular basis – population control Or concern for health
and welfare of the pups. They will tell you that they have the right
to breed pet quality puppies for the public. Which may be so, however,
the question becomes
1. what do they do to insure quality?
2. How much knowledge of the breed do they really have?
3. What are the guarantees you can receive from this person?
4. You may get lucky and work with a great person who is producing good,
healthy dogs that resemble the breed.
5. Or you most likely will get a sickly puppy, and a hard time if you
try to approach the person for help or to return a dog deemed “not quality
for sale” by a licensed Veterinarian based on a health screening where
problems are identified.
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Big or small: They have no breeding plan in place. They go to their
friend or try to go to other show breeders and use their stud dogs,
whether the pedigrees are homogenous or not.
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Do not participate in AKC sanctioned events.
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Can breed 1 to more than 5 litters a year.
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They generally don’t have full understanding of the breed they are
breeding even though they own them.
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Do
not perform health screenings or certifications on their breeding
stock.
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They usually breed dogs that do not quite meet the standard:
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The end result is usually flaws are accentuated and most likely
some of these dogs will have defects.
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Do not know enough to be a knowledge resource.
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Some of the bigger backyard breeders:
a. Sell dogs on internet, take credit cards and deposits.
b. Tout having the healthiest and best temperamented dogs –
yet the pedigrees are a web of nothing.
c. Do not follow any genetic plan. (There are genetics books
available that provide examples of pedigrees of some of the
top winning and well conformed dogs in the world)
d. Steal photos of other dogs and put them up on their websites
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Recycle photos of dogs that have already been sold
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Have incomplete records and pedigrees.
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Have been known to steal pedigrees of other dogs and claim
their dog is the progeny.
e. They are the ones that will tell you that show / conformation
breeders are bad and breeding poor quality dogs, and that they
are the ones improving the breed by eliminating line breeding
etc.
f. IF that is the case – why do they need to advertise and the
Hobby Breeder does not?
12) Puppy Mills
a. These are people who do not know anything about the breeds
they are breeding. The Amish are the best example of this type
of breeder.
b. Don’t know if they are licensed – most probably are not –
or inspected until a call to the ASPCA or local dog warden is
made to lodge a complaint.
c. The breeding of “pure bred dogs” is purely a business to
them. It is a means to financial end – period.
d. Kennel (if they are in kennels) conditions are usually poor
to horrific, and overcrowded
e. Heritage is uncertain. Pedigrees questionable.
i. Most of the time they don’t know which male got which female
pregnant
f. Sell to Pet shops, brokers, and agents.
g. Usually a huge operation
h. Don’t allow the public to see the kennel area
i. Breed upwards of 15+ litters (in general – multiple breeds)
a year
j. Not limited to 1 or 2 breeds. Usually more.
k. Ship pups at 6 weeks of age to the shops
l. Only affiliation with AKC is registering puppies for resale.
m. Consider dogs as livestock.
n. The dogs are part of a factory and literally bred to death
and when they are of no value, they can be dumped on the street
or shot or euthanized in some other horrible, inhumane manner.
These dogs are kept in small overcrowded pens or crates all
the time and are part of a factory and never experience much
in the way of human interaction
13) Commercial Puppy Mills:
a. Larger more controlled puppy factory than the smaller puppy
mill.
b. USDA inspected as well as humane society.
c. Their sole reason for existence is pumping out puppies as
fast as they can to make a profit.
d. Buy and Sell their breeding stock at auction
e. Breed the bitches till they are of no value then euthanize
them.
f. No regard to breed standard or quality – they just breed
puppies and sell them to pet stores, agents, brokers and other
commercial breeders.
g. These dogs are kept in runs / kennels all the time and are
part of a factory and never experience much in the way of human
interaction.
14) Importers
a. These are people who bring dogs in from other countries in
large quantities – mostly Russia
b. Have to be licensed by US Dept of Agriculture
c. Sell dogs on internet, take credit cards and deposits.
d. Tout having top winning dogs – yet the pedigrees only have
foreign Champions in them registered in foreign registry.
e. Steal photos of other dogs and put them up on their websites
i. Recycle photos of dogs that have already been sold.
f. Do the old bait and switch – advertise one pup on the internet
and send you another.
g. Are willing to ship any time of the year.
h. These puppies are usually sick, underweight and too young
to have been shipped to the US.
i. Most have some type of genetic or congenital defects.
j. Kept in horrible conditions.
k. Most never receive Veterinary assistance before they are
placed.
l. Usually have no paperwork: Pedigrees, Veterinary health screening
certificates, vaccination records, etc.
m. Charge exorbitant prices for what you are getting.
n. Make claims that they do not fulfill according to the law
and their own contracts. Ie. Puppy lemon law, refunds.
My Credo:
If you can’t:
hold the puppy,
hug the puppy,
smell the puppy,
kiss the puppy,
play with the puppy,
talk to the puppy–
then you don’t want the puppy…
“Caveat Emptor”
Let the Buyer Be Ware…
An
experience to be shared. A Couple just purchased a puppy from
us this year. They shared their nightmare in trying to find and purchase
a bulldog pup. They did research, looked at all the websites and thought
they had made an informed decision. They put a deposit down on a pup they
had not met yet. The breeder was going to ship the pup. The folks wanted
to travel to her home and get their new pup. They did not want to have
the dog shipped. The breeder became belligerent, accused them of harassment
and refused to send the pup. She also refused to refund their money. Legal
action is pending.
First
and foremost – a puppy is a living breathing biological creature.
You can not determine temperament or whether a pup is drawn/bonds to you
or not if you cannot physically be in the same room as the puppy and interact
with it.
Go ahead and buy a stereo or a bicycle on the internet, BUT for heavens
sake – don’t open yourself up to the possibility of behavioral problems
by buying a puppy or any other living creature sight unseen!!!
NOTE:
All statements made in this document are my opinion and based on my experiences
over the past 20 some years with my involvement in the Sport of Pure Bred
Dogs.
I hope this has been helful. If you have any questions please email me
at bullchow@embarqmail.com.
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